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£300k revamp for hotel in Carlisle city centre

Another step in the regeneration of Botchergate in Carlisle is coming with a £300,000 revamp of the former Sherwood Hotel.

The former Sherwood Hotel

The hotel, on the corner of Tait Street, has been closed for more than a decade.

Now its owner, Carlisle Estates Company, has applied for planning consent to convert it into flats. Five shops on the ground floor – let to Pizza Italia, Music Box, Adele’s Kitchen, Kirsty’s Cards and a Polish delicatessen – will stay but get authentic period frontages.

Craig Bowers, a director of Carlisle Estates, said: “We like to think we are doing our bit to regenerate Botchergate.

“We have owned the site for a long time but the hotel has stood empty and it got to the point where we needed to do something with it.

“We are going to convert the upper floors into apartments and demolish some property at the back to build a quirky mews house.

“We will end up with eight flats and there will be more space for the delicatessen.”

The flats will be let to tenants, possibly students given the location close to the University of Cumbria’s Fusehill Street campus.

The external appearance of the building should improve dramatically. As well as new shop fronts, unsightly external wiring and pipework will be stripped away and timber sliding sash windows will be overhauled and refitted.

The scheme should be finished by the end of the year.

Mr Bowers added: “It will make a significant improvement to the look of the street and from a business point of view it makes sense.”

He went to a brain-storming session for property owners in Botchergate run by Carlisle City Council in January following publication of a Draft Botchergate Conservation Appraisal and Management Plan. This sets out how the council would like to see the run-down thoroughfare improved.

Have your say

If the council give this planning permission they need their heads looked at. The owners change a few shop fronts and move a few wires. In return they get permission to create 9 rentable properties. 9 x Â£500 a month, hmmm. Altruistic, I think not.

Posted by Anon on
8 June 2012 at 20:41

At long last someone has woken up and smelled the coffee! When the part of Botchergate, south of Tait Street was designated a Conservation Area, what plans did the ruling Council of the day have for it? For 18 years they have huffed and puffed and strutted around meetings and more meetings (most recently the dreaded Renaissance!)and all for nothing while Botchergate has remained the eyesore it has been allowed to become because of in-action by the ruling executive. They should be ashamed. I often wonder if our Councillors ever get out of their cars and actually take a walk around the City and form a personal opinion, yes a personal opinion, on the City they represent. Mmmmmmmm I wonder!